Page 47 - Willi Distel Diary

Proofread for easier reading. Willi wrote this page in English himself.

[...] people's dress are things nobody soon forgets. Back on board, the boat continued her voyage, and after ten days we reached Fremantle, the first port of Australia - and I was so sorry that it was the end of the line for me. After farewells to all my friends, I left the ship on which I had spent such a lovely time and reported to Mr Indel, who was waiting for me. We drove to Perth by motor car, where I met Mrs Indel. After she showed me the shop, which was new, we had a good dinner - and that was the end of my longest and finest voyage so far. When I first saw the city of Perth I was surprised: it is small, but an up-to-date city. There are very good picture houses and shops here. The country beyond the town is very poor, mostly sand. [...]

Interesting facts

Fremantle, Australia's western gateway. Fremantle, the port of Perth, was the first Australian landfall for ships arriving from Europe via the Indian Ocean. For many migrants it was where they stepped ashore on the continent for the very first time.
Perth in the late 1920s. Perth was then a small but modern city of around two hundred thousand people, capital of Western Australia and isolated from the eastern cities by vast distances. Its up-to-date shops and 'picture houses' (cinemas) reflected the 1920s boom in the new medium of film.
Sand around the city. Perth sits on the Swan Coastal Plain, a belt of sandy, low-fertility soils. Willi's impression of poor, sandy country beyond the town was an accurate first take on the local landscape.